PG’s Office says delay in evidence bill is ‘a hindrance’
Absolutely no work on the evidence bill has been done since it was forwarded for parliament review
Aishath Bisham
The delay in passing the long-anticipated bill on evidence is a hindrance to carrying out just trials at local courts, the Prosecutor General's Office has said.
Speaking to RaajjeMV, Prosecutor General Aishath Bisham said that the criminal procedure code being introduced in 2017 has been immensely beneficial, but aspects of it remaining unenforced is concerning.
The schedule for the parliamentary review committee's work this parliament session has revealed that work on the evidence law has been stalled for two years.
The committee on national security has yet to review the bill since receiving it.
The evidence bill was submitted in February 2017 by MP Ali Shah on behalf of the government. If passed, it would replace the brief law on evidence, enacted in 1976, currently in use.
The bill outlines the use of evidence in both civil and criminal matters, and lays down the procedural guidelines for admissibility in court and acquiring witness testimony, also making provisions for witness protection.
